This week’s feature film in our virtual Beyond the Bay Film Series is Some Like it Hot from 1959, which stars Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis & Marilyn Monroe & was directed by Billy Wilder It’s the story of 2 struggling musicians who, after witnessing the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, dress in drag to join an all-girl band & escape the mob in 1929 Chicago. The film is often listed near the top of the greatest films of all-time & the American Film Institute named it the best comedy as part of their 100th Anniversary. With its blend of both physical and verbal comedy, as well as the best performance of Marilyn Monroe’s career, Some Like it Hot has something for everyone.
For Me, Billy Wilder is on the short list for the best filmmaker of the classic Hollywood era. He wrote & directed such classics as Sunset Blvd, The Apartment, The Lost Weekend & Witness for the Prosecution. Wilder came to Hollywood as a screenwriter & received his 1st Oscar nomination for the Greta Garbo film Ninotchka in 1939. He burst on the scene as a writer/director with his third feature, the Noir classic, Double Indemnity in 1944, for which he was nominated for best director & best screenplay. During his career, Wilder was nominated for 20 Oscars, winning 6 times. Wilder’s style was simple, he placed the camera where he wanted the viewer’s eye to go, then had the actors speak his brilliantly crafted lines just as they were written, with not a comma, a period or a word changed. Some Like it Hot is Wilder at the pinnacle of his powers, confidently melding difficult actors, challenging subject matter & multiple genres & styles. That he was able to accomplish this while facing industry, studio & producer doubts & create a classic film that stands the test of time and the scrutiny of multiple viewings is simply amazing.
Wilder & co-writer, I A L Diamond based the film on the concept of 2 musicians masquerading in drag that they took from a German film from 1951. When Wilder came up with the idea to have the musicians witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre they were off & running, churning out the 2nd script in their 24 year, 12 film collaboration.
Wilder knew he wanted Jack Lemmon for the part of Jerry/Daphne, but Lemmon had an exclusive, iron clad contract with Columbia. Lemmon jumped at the part solely for the opportunity to work with Wilder, but had to agree to make 4 more films for cheapskate studio Columbia for the honor. Lemmon & Wilder would go on to make 7 films together, including Best Picture winner The Apartment & The fortune Cookie. Tony Curtis was the first to actually sign onto the picture, but United Artists, which would be releasing the film, wanted bigger stars, so they insisted on approaching Frank Sinatra. Sinatra blew off a meeting with Wilder after learning 80% of his performance would be in drag. Lemmon & Curtis were both coming off Oscar nominated films. For Curtis it was 1958’s The Defiant One & Lemmon actually winning a best supporting Oscar for 1955’s Mister Roberts. Lemmon embraced the idea of appearing in drag, trusting Wilder to take the performance right to the edge, without ever crossing the imaginary line. Curtis was more circumspect about appearing in drag & had to be coaxed from his dressing room on the first day of shooting. Later that day, however, both men pushed the boundary themselves by sauntering into the ladies’ restroom in the studio commissary, without even causing a stir.
Mitzi Gaynor, fresh off her performance in South Pacific, was approached about playing Sugar, but when Marilyn Monroe voiced interest in the part Wilder & Diamond increased the size of the part & sent her the script. Wilder had worked with Monroe 4 years earlier on The Seven Year Itch & was well aware of her magnetic presence on screen, if not the evolving nature of her work ethic & mental state. Producers agreed to pay her $300,000 + 10% of the gross profits, while Curtis & Lemmon received just $100,000 each.
Hollywood called the film “Wilder’s folly,” feeling that having his leads in drag would doom the picture at the box office. Wilder countered by first having the film a period piece, believing “when all the costumes appear peculiar, a guy in drag looks no more particular than anybody else” & then making it in black & white, which would reduce the pressure for Lemmon & Curtis to actually look like women. Monroe, who had a stipulation in her contract requiring Technicolor, agreed to waive the requirement after seeing garish color shots of Lemmon & Curtis.
Once filming began, Lemmon & Curtis in drag became the least of Wilder’s concerns. Marilyn Monroe arrived on set depressed, after having suffered a recent mis-carriage and immediately began causing problems. She wouldn’t show up to the set until noon & her reliance on the approval of her on-set acting coach required multiple retakes & delays in shooting. Wilder wasn’t aware of the actress’ dependence on booze, sleeping pills & painkillers, but it’s truly amazing to see how much of the real Marilyn he was able to capture in Sugar’s character & performance.
While Monroe’s behavior caused nearly a week’s delay in shooting & $700,000 in budget overruns, both Lemmon & Curtis later said they enjoyed working with Marilyn, if only because the end result was so magical. While watching daily rushes one day Curtis famously commented that kissing Monroe was “like kissing Hitler.” Many thought this was a response to his frustration with Monroe, but he swore it was a sarcastic comment to a stupid question.
When shooting finally wrapped and a working print was assembled, Wilder showed it to studio brass & industry insiders. Aside from Diamond & Wilder, all those assembled agreed that the film didn’t work. When a preview audience saw the film a few weeks later & no one laughed, those same studio leaders demanded Wilder recut the film entirely. Thankfully, Wilder stood by his film, removing just 1 60 second scene. When a second preview audience laughed uproariously, producers were confident they had a hit on their hands.
Some Like it Hot was released on March 29th 1959 and earned $25 million dollars in its initial release, the 3rd highest total for the year. It also went on to be nominated for 6 Oscars, winning just one for master costumer Orry-Kelly’s fabulous gowns for all 3 ladies.
Wilder’s mash up of an over the top farce, a send up of the gangster films of the 1930’s & a spot on critique of sexual & class politics is a masterclass in razor sharp dialogue married to concise visuals. The film’s commentary on the fluidity of gender & identity, wrapped in full on gut laughter, makes it much more than a formulaic Hollywood comedy. Some Like it Hot is a classic because it’s really funny, but it ages so well because some of its truths still ring true today. But hey, nobody’s perfect!
Thanks for tuning in today. I look forward to our live Q&A discussion on Thursday May 7tt. Please e-mail any questions or comments to beyond@baycommunitytheatre.org & go to thebaytheatre.com for more information.
For Me, Billy Wilder is on the short list for the best filmmaker of the classic Hollywood era. He wrote & directed such classics as Sunset Blvd, The Apartment, The Lost Weekend & Witness for the Prosecution. Wilder came to Hollywood as a screenwriter & received his 1st Oscar nomination for the Greta Garbo film Ninotchka in 1939. He burst on the scene as a writer/director with his third feature, the Noir classic, Double Indemnity in 1944, for which he was nominated for best director & best screenplay. During his career, Wilder was nominated for 20 Oscars, winning 6 times. Wilder’s style was simple, he placed the camera where he wanted the viewer’s eye to go, then had the actors speak his brilliantly crafted lines just as they were written, with not a comma, a period or a word changed. Some Like it Hot is Wilder at the pinnacle of his powers, confidently melding difficult actors, challenging subject matter & multiple genres & styles. That he was able to accomplish this while facing industry, studio & producer doubts & create a classic film that stands the test of time and the scrutiny of multiple viewings is simply amazing.
Wilder & co-writer, I A L Diamond based the film on the concept of 2 musicians masquerading in drag that they took from a German film from 1951. When Wilder came up with the idea to have the musicians witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre they were off & running, churning out the 2nd script in their 24 year, 12 film collaboration.
Wilder knew he wanted Jack Lemmon for the part of Jerry/Daphne, but Lemmon had an exclusive, iron clad contract with Columbia. Lemmon jumped at the part solely for the opportunity to work with Wilder, but had to agree to make 4 more films for cheapskate studio Columbia for the honor. Lemmon & Wilder would go on to make 7 films together, including Best Picture winner The Apartment & The fortune Cookie. Tony Curtis was the first to actually sign onto the picture, but United Artists, which would be releasing the film, wanted bigger stars, so they insisted on approaching Frank Sinatra. Sinatra blew off a meeting with Wilder after learning 80% of his performance would be in drag. Lemmon & Curtis were both coming off Oscar nominated films. For Curtis it was 1958’s The Defiant One & Lemmon actually winning a best supporting Oscar for 1955’s Mister Roberts. Lemmon embraced the idea of appearing in drag, trusting Wilder to take the performance right to the edge, without ever crossing the imaginary line. Curtis was more circumspect about appearing in drag & had to be coaxed from his dressing room on the first day of shooting. Later that day, however, both men pushed the boundary themselves by sauntering into the ladies’ restroom in the studio commissary, without even causing a stir.
Mitzi Gaynor, fresh off her performance in South Pacific, was approached about playing Sugar, but when Marilyn Monroe voiced interest in the part Wilder & Diamond increased the size of the part & sent her the script. Wilder had worked with Monroe 4 years earlier on The Seven Year Itch & was well aware of her magnetic presence on screen, if not the evolving nature of her work ethic & mental state. Producers agreed to pay her $300,000 + 10% of the gross profits, while Curtis & Lemmon received just $100,000 each.
Hollywood called the film “Wilder’s folly,” feeling that having his leads in drag would doom the picture at the box office. Wilder countered by first having the film a period piece, believing “when all the costumes appear peculiar, a guy in drag looks no more particular than anybody else” & then making it in black & white, which would reduce the pressure for Lemmon & Curtis to actually look like women. Monroe, who had a stipulation in her contract requiring Technicolor, agreed to waive the requirement after seeing garish color shots of Lemmon & Curtis.
Once filming began, Lemmon & Curtis in drag became the least of Wilder’s concerns. Marilyn Monroe arrived on set depressed, after having suffered a recent mis-carriage and immediately began causing problems. She wouldn’t show up to the set until noon & her reliance on the approval of her on-set acting coach required multiple retakes & delays in shooting. Wilder wasn’t aware of the actress’ dependence on booze, sleeping pills & painkillers, but it’s truly amazing to see how much of the real Marilyn he was able to capture in Sugar’s character & performance.
While Monroe’s behavior caused nearly a week’s delay in shooting & $700,000 in budget overruns, both Lemmon & Curtis later said they enjoyed working with Marilyn, if only because the end result was so magical. While watching daily rushes one day Curtis famously commented that kissing Monroe was “like kissing Hitler.” Many thought this was a response to his frustration with Monroe, but he swore it was a sarcastic comment to a stupid question.
When shooting finally wrapped and a working print was assembled, Wilder showed it to studio brass & industry insiders. Aside from Diamond & Wilder, all those assembled agreed that the film didn’t work. When a preview audience saw the film a few weeks later & no one laughed, those same studio leaders demanded Wilder recut the film entirely. Thankfully, Wilder stood by his film, removing just 1 60 second scene. When a second preview audience laughed uproariously, producers were confident they had a hit on their hands.
Some Like it Hot was released on March 29th 1959 and earned $25 million dollars in its initial release, the 3rd highest total for the year. It also went on to be nominated for 6 Oscars, winning just one for master costumer Orry-Kelly’s fabulous gowns for all 3 ladies.
Wilder’s mash up of an over the top farce, a send up of the gangster films of the 1930’s & a spot on critique of sexual & class politics is a masterclass in razor sharp dialogue married to concise visuals. The film’s commentary on the fluidity of gender & identity, wrapped in full on gut laughter, makes it much more than a formulaic Hollywood comedy. Some Like it Hot is a classic because it’s really funny, but it ages so well because some of its truths still ring true today. But hey, nobody’s perfect!
Thanks for tuning in today. I look forward to our live Q&A discussion on Thursday May 7tt. Please e-mail any questions or comments to beyond@baycommunitytheatre.org & go to thebaytheatre.com for more information.
